The new report Preserving Our Institutions: Presidential Succession, the second to be produced by the AEI-Brookings Continuity of Government Commission, delves into the issues surrounding succession to the presidency. It begins with a hypothetical account of a catastrophic terrorist attack during the State of the Union address; this attack, and the ensuing confusion over who actually holds the presidency, illustrates the weaknesses in the existing system of presidential succession. The report goes on to explain the constitutional and legislative basis for succession to the presidency, and it provides seven specific recommendations for how the flaws in the current succession process may be fixed.